Wrangell Mountains Center WINTER UPDATES & EVENTS

Published: January 12, 2012

Porphyry Place Campaign Update

Over 1.5 years ago, we began a campaign to raise funds to expand our facility in McCarthy. Thank you to all our supporters--both individuals and organizations. The Wrangell Mountains Center appreciates your contributions and positive energy, and we were very successful on many accounts. We will kick off our programing season this spring as the proud new owners of Porphyry Place! We will hold limited programming on site this year, but the majority of our operations will continue to function out of the Hardware Store as we retrofit and upgrade the new property for full use in the coming years. This purchase is one major step toward our mission-driven efforts to create spaces and communities that are dedicated to education, science, arts, and sustainable systems. Stay tuned to our plans for expansion into Porphyry Place, and thank you, again, to all our donors and supporters who are making this campaign a success!

Pick. Click. Give.

PICK (wild blueberries and cranberries), CLICK (your boots together to homegrown music and community), and GIVE (thanks to this wide and diverse landscape). Celebrate Alaska. Be inspired to support non-profit organizations that work in this state to create positive change. Pick. Click. Give. provides an opportunity for every Alaskan receiving a Permanent Fund Dividend to consider using it in a meaningful and charitable way. 100% of every gift goes to each designated organization. Please consider a donation to the Wrangell Mountains Center from your PFD this year. Our efforts are made possible by you. When you go online to apply for your dividend, you will see the Pick. Click. Give. option. Click and follow the directions to make your donation! At the same time, please take the extra step you will see after you make your donation to provide your contact information to us. We want to acknowledge and recognize your generous support, and this is the only way we will know it's you making the gift. www.pickclickgive.org.

Congratulations to WMC board member Maria Shell! Maria recently received a $6000 award from the Sustainable Arts Foundation to establish an off-the-grid art quilt studio in McCarthy, AK. She plans to convert an existing structure on her property into a creative and sustainable workspace. We all look forward to the colorful work that will come out of this process. Find more images at mariashell.com.

Maria will also be teaching a weeklong workshop in McCarthy this summer. Creative Cloth will take place July 20-25th. Participants will produce four small art quilts that each explores a different technique. Sources of inspiration and the creative process will also be discussed. Artists of all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to register. Program details and registration info will be posted on the WMC website soon. www.wrangells.org/programs.html.

Art! Anchorage-and-McCarthy-based artist and WMC member Scott Clendaniel has work to sell. His original oil paintings were part of an art installation in 2011 called 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, hung at the Midnight Sun Brewing Company. This year, he painted 23 new beer portraits featuring the beers of Midnight Sun in a show entitled Another Round. His artwork will be silently auctioned during Alaska Beer Week (January 13-22) at Midnight Sun Brewing Company's Loft, and winners will be announced at 2 pm on January 22nd. Scott has generously pledged to donate 10% of his sales to our Porphyry Place Fund! Support both local art and the Wrangell Mountains Center at the Midnight Sun Loft (map). Thank you, Scott!

New staff! Eleanor Jensenis joining the year-round staff at the Wrangell Mountains Center as the Program Associate. She has Midwest roots and an arts background. Eleanor holds a BA in studio art from Carleton College, Northfield, MN, and an MFA in printmaking from Illinois State University. She worked as an intern at the WMC during 2011. She is interested in how we perceive and experience the natural environment, and the ambiguity and complexity that exist in the relationship between nature and culture. She wants to explore how interdisciplinary components and remote areas can create a dynamic educational environment. Eleanor felt lucky to have found the WMC last year--a model for that idea--and looks forward to contributing more to its efforts and community. Welcome aboard, Eleanor! We are glad to have you on the team.

The Wrangell Mountains Center fosters understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of wildlands and mountain culture in Alaska through scientific and artistic inquiry in the Wrangell Mountains.